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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · wound · pitcher · charge · prune · stick · can · swing

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. swing — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. charge — electricity
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. prune — to trim
  9. charge — a price
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. charge — in control
  15. can — to be able to
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — a tin
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com